Kigaru awoke, and sneezed. She rubbed her eyes, wheezing as she jumped to her feet. Everything was blurry, blanketed by a thick fog of choking haze, sweet as incense yet thick as smoke. She tried to stroll in one direction but ended up in the same spot as last time.
"Where am I," she murmured.
"You are in the temple of light," Laisha answered. Out of the haze, she appeared, glowing slightly so that Kigaru could see her amid the fog.
"The temple where Lloyd received his golden power," Kigaru asked.
"The very one," Laisha nodded. "Go ahead. Awe if you like. It is truly a noble place; one very few ever see."
"If I stand where Lloyd stood, will I receive his power too?"
"I wish that were true," Laisha smiled. "But it is not to be, for there is only one Golden Ninja, and it was him. Why, though, do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing really, just curiosity. I used to wonder what'd it like to have that kind of power. But not anymore."
"Because you yourself have powers."
"How'd you know? I never told you that."
"You didn't have to. I sensed it the moment we met. And it is, may I dare say, truly extraordinary."
"My power? Oh, it's not much…yet. Once Lloyd trains me how to harness it…then we're talking extraordinary. Till then, I'll just be good old me."
"So, Lloyd has decided to train you?"
"Well, not exactly. He wasn't fond of the idea, at first. Real pain in the but half the time, and never so much as smiled at me. But I think he's warmed up to me a little bit now."
"What makes you certain of that?"
"He doesn't try to rip my throat out when we talk."
"That is encouraging. Not exactly optimistic, but it is progress. I only fear that it will be the only headway you make."
"Oh, stop that. He'll come full circle. Trust me, we'll be close once it's said and done. Mark my word."
"Aren't you confident?"
"You think otherwise," Kigaru asked.
"Well, yes, for a good reason," Laisha sighed. "I, for one, have seen his condition, and it sickens me."
"Yes, yes, you told me that whole Harumi business already," Kigaru rolled her eyes. "No need to flesh it out again."
"Ah, but I mean more than that," Laisha shook her head. "He is jealous of you."
"Jealous of me? For what? My wimpy powers? Ha. I'd barely chip his teeth, let alone defeat him in combat."
"Your powers are not wimpy. To the contrary, they are stronger than his, stronger than…those of the First Spinjitzu Master."
"You're kidding. There's no way that I'm that strong, not by a long shot. Sure, I can heal, I know that much, but fight with Lloyd's ability?"
"Ah, but you are stronger! I have seen it! You are predestined to be the Pink Ninja!"
"Pink ninja," Kigaru giggled. "What a joke."
"Ah but it is true," Laisha sighed. "You're just too naïve to see it."
"And what's this pink ninja supposed to be? A joke?"
"It's no joke. The pink ninja succeeds where the green ninja failed…in achieving the true potential of the First Spinjitzu Master."
"And you think I'm it?"
"Precisely."
"What makes you sure of that? I'm no hero. I'm just a girl."
"A girl with a special gift," Laisha added.
"Who can't control it," Kigaru countered. "I'd have better luck wrestling Cole bare-handed than unlocking my true potential."
"But you will, when you are trained."
"Yeah. And every second here is a second lost with Lloyd."
"You think Lloyd can train you?"
"If Master Wu trusts him, I think I can too."
"Don't count on it, not with his mental state."
"He's not an emotional wreck like you suppose him to be."
"No, but he's anxious nevertheless."
"Probably anxious for my health and safety, Laisha! Why don't you take me to him, so he's put at ease," Kigaru sighed.
"Relax. He's fine, for now. Pythor's got him in a nice little apartment, with TV, food, and lots of comfy bedding," Laisha smiled. "We have all the time in the world."
"Fine. Hand it to me straight."
"You're serious? No more games?"
"Promise. Now, what's got you so worked up about Lloyd's anxiety? I mean, the guy's a serious case of stress mishandling."
"Stress, my dear, is only the beginning. Remember our little talk about how Harumi tends to haunt his memories? Well, so does his father, and every single, little failure he's ever accomplished. The time he released the Serpentine from captivity. That time he failed to use his golden power wisely and lost it all. Or that time Lord Chen owned him in the final tournament of elements. Or how he allowed a ghost called Morro to possess him. Or the fact that he couldn't kill Pythor on the spot on the Day of the Departed. Or the fact that he fell in love with a master villain, who stabbed his soul to pieces and resurrected his worst nightmare! Or the fact that he failed to stop Lord Garmadon when the city needed him the most! Or the fact that he, of all people, didn't stop the Oni from hurting the city or his friend Cole! Or the fact that right now, he is in a cell, because he could not land a final blow on anybody!
"It haunts him, Kigaru! And you want to know why?! Because when Ninjago needed him the most, he failed! He, the Green Ninja, the heir of the First Spinjitzu Master, the son of Garmadon, failed! And he will never, ever find his inner peace, because that shame will turn him into something far worse than his father!"
"Enough!"
"You wanted the truth," Laisha gasped. "You wanted to know. Blame yourself if you can't swallow the pill."
"I…I understand. The shame…the guilt…I see it now. It…it has consumed him."
"And it will consume him more. One more failure, and he will become the second Lord Garmadon."
"I won't let that happen."
"But what if you slip? What if you were to fail him, to fail your training, or worse, die? Then what could you do to ease his mind? I tell you, one more failure and all the forces of Ninjago would fail to prevent the rise of the Dark Lloyd."
"What then can I do?"
"Run."
"Run," Kigaru questioned.
"Yes, run," Laisha said. "Do not continue with him. Flee from him. Run from him. Seek refuge wherever you can. Live aloof, disconnected from all communication with him. Only then can you avoid letting him down."
"But what about my training," Kigaru asked.
"Who taught you the power of healing? Was it Master Wu, or some other elemental master? No, it was you. You taught yourself to tap into your power, a skill no other ninja has. And if you can teach yourself that, you can teach yourself to control any of your abilities, and to harness their full, true potential."
"I have been self-sufficient since I can remember, and if I must live by my own hand the rest of my days, so be it. Better is me learning by my own hand, then by leashing myself to the rope of a master descending into darkness."
"Then it is settled," Laisha nodded. "I will take you back to your quarters now."
"No, not there," Kigaru sighed. "I cannot return, lest I falter. Strand me on the far side of the island, where no one can find me."
"If that is what you desire, so be it," Laisha smiled.
Laisha rotated her arms, motioning her hands to where they shaped out a circle. A thick cloud of smoke immediately descended, shrouding both in complete fog. Kigaru watched as Laisha faded out of sight, then yawned and quickly fell to the ground in a deep, peaceful sleep.